Gunshots and Whiskey
by Nocturn-Noir
Summary: So many memories, so many things she didn't understand. Why were they plagueing her? And why did Reno's behavior that night bother her so...maybe because she had thought him predictable. But he had frightened her...truly frightened her as nothing else eve
1. Screams and Silence

** Gunshots and Whiskey**

Whiskey eyes stared at the wet street. A recent rain had left the streets of Sector 2 Slums damp and chill. The deep shadows that resided over the entire city deepening in ominous warning. The young blonde could not help but feel a chill trace down her spine at the thought of wandering these streets alone. Even if she was a Turk, and few would dare to so much as look her in the eye.

Elena crossed her arms more tightly across her chest. Looking beside her in the black car at the redhead lounging lazily in the drivers seat. Head resting on his left hand, eyes closed as if asleep. But she knew better, it was more a gesture of boredom than anything else.

Elena had always wondered how he was possibly second in command, over Rude. The redheaded Turk beside her did not follow uniform policy, argued with his superiors, had a laid back, lazy attitude. And joked around all the time. It was as if he could read peoples thoughts, knowing what he could day that would utterly piss them off. He was annoying and overly rude to her. There were times when she wished she could punch him. If for nothing more than to wipe that smartass smirk off his face. But she couldn't, not without risking her job. She had recently been promoted to a Turk. Tonight was her first mission. As backup. And of all people for her to be stuck with it was the redheaded Reno. He was a complete mystery to her… Tseng and Rude were as well. But they seemed suited for their jobs… He seemed more like a little kid. He was never serious, and always had some smartass comment. Which most times left you embarrassed and him laughing.

She didn't know if he took his job seriously, in all honesty she did not believe him capable of being serious…

"Time to get to work, rookie." He drawled in his usual mocking, lazy voice. Elena bit back a retort and simply nodded. Stepping from the car and looking ahead as a man turned off into an alley.

The Turks, were assassins, kidnappers ect. They did ShinRa's dirty jobs. Tonight's, job was one of many assassinations performed by the Turks. So many, that it was probably pointless to try to file them. But they managed it… Or rather Elena was assigned to such a task.

On of ShinRa's employees had leaked some top-secret information. The President, learned of this and got a name. An untrustworthy employee was a big inconvience for the company. So naturally, he had called in the Turks.

Elena looked at Reno from the corner of her eye. She couldn't clearly see his face, or his expression. He made no sound. No steps echoing from the cement, haggard , nervous breaths. Nothing. He seemed to stalk up the street with a catlike grace. One that Elena had trouble matching. Her breaths were nervous and sharp. Where his were not so, he had nothing to be nervous about. But Elena was always nervous when it came to her job. What if she screwed up? Got demoted? Or fired?

In the silence Elena began, once more, to compare Reno to Tseng and Rude. How he was Rude's superior was beyond her. And how unlike Tseng he was. She envisioned a second in command to be more like Rude… Or even more like Tseng. Not the childlike Reno.

Her thoughts were cut short as the man that they had been trailing turned around. His eyes widened as he gazed at the two Turks who had been following him. Reno moved forward, pulling his EMR from its place on his hip. Elena took the cue and pulled out her handgun.

The man took a step back in surprise and fear. He knew why they were here, knew that the President had obviously found out. Reno smirked, the dull lamplight from the street striking his face. Green eyes which flashed with the introverted glow of mako. The man stared, obviously trying to decide what to do. And in the few moments of no action and silent movements on Reno's part he stood casually behind his target. The man turned, as if finally reaching a decision, only to nearly collide with the redheaded Turk.

He gasped silently and took a step back. Reno stepped forward, his signature smirk shadowing his face. "It seems that you've leaked some VERRYY secret information of ShinRa's. To some bad people." He exaggerated 'very' and 'bad' to get his point across. Elena listened to the underlining venom in her co-worker's words. Surprised slightly that he could be serious about something. But the casualness in his voice about the situation was unnerving.

The man growled and lunged forward. Reno smirked and swung his EMR into the mans face, a snapping sound told him he had broken the mans nose. Blood smeared over the mans face and splattered to the ground. He groaned lowly, covering his bleeding nose with his hands. Reno kicked the man into a wall, cornering him there by standing only a foot or so away.

"Now…we can do this the easy way… or if you'd rather…The hard way." He paused but a second as the man glared at him. "Now… Tell me, so I can go home, who you sold that information to." He smirked again, "Like a good little man." This earned him a warning growl. "I didn't know our target was a dog… did you 'Lena?" Reno mocked pompously.

"Fuck you, asshole!" The man shouted, his words slurred from his broken nose. Blood mixed with spit spewing forth from his bloody mouth. "Fine have it your way then." He slammed the man backward into the brick wall. The mans head snapped back colliding with the hard wall behind him. Causing his vision to slide in and out of focus and a wave of dizziness to pass over him. Reno repeated his question. No. Reno sighed, stepping back and reading to hit the man with his EMR. The man lunged forward landing a blow in the Turks stomach. Reno growled staggering back. The man made to run but was halted as a had wrapped itself around his shoulder. He winced at the stone grip and turned around. Face blanching as he gazed at the glowering eyes of the Turk. The mako burning with the anger that flared up out of no where. "Now, you are going to tell me who you leaked information to." The man shook his head, almost desperately. "I… I cant!" He shouted.

Reno smirked "Fine." He drawled before pulling the man forward and throwing him forcefully back toward one of the walls. There was another resounding crack as his ribs slammed into the corner of a dumpster. Again he gasped sharply. Reno walked over, almost lazily, as if this were merely something he was doing as a pastime. Elena took a step back, fear evident on her face as light from a streetlamp fell onto the redheads face. His eyes were hallow and held a cruel, sickening laughter in them. And he smiled, a crooked smile that she had never seen on his face before. Like he did, in truth, enjoy this. Enjoy torturing this man for information. Reno stopped, "Elena, don't be so weak." He stated bluntly before turning again to the man who was hunched over in the alleyway. Elena nodded before stepping forward again.

Reno bent down, "Now, you can tell me who you sold the information to." He stopped. The man attempted to gasp out a scream, but it was choked off by the pale hand gripping his throat. Reno stood the man up, still pressed against the wall. Sliding the dial of his EMR up with his thumb. Now set to a fully charged volt of electricity.

"I… I.. ca… can't tell you." The man gagged out.

He attempted to once more scream in pain as the smell of burning flesh filled the air. The EMR in Reno's hand hissed as he drug its white hot, electric metal across the mans face. Burning the flesh away as it slid across his cheek. He gasped for air as Reno lowered the weapon. "Still not going to tell me?" He shook his head. "Ca..can..n't." He choked out. Reno frowned, "Fine." He again lifted his EMR, this time shoving its tip into the mans temple. Volts of electricity raced through his body. The flesh hissed as the EMR burned through it. Blood slid down the mans face. A choked scream rose and fell in the night. With it the resound of the name that Reno had sought from the man. Silence fell. And Reno dropped the convulsing body to the ground, the muscles twitched. Tensed and shook is spasms as the currents of electricity ran through his body. Spit, blood and foam sliding from the mans open mouth. His eyes rolled back so that only the whites could be seen.

Casually, as if it were nothing, Reno pulled out a black handgun and fired one shot. Looking down Elena saw a hole between the now lifeless mans eyes. She shook, nausea splashing over her. The air smelt of blood, garbage, spit and burning flesh. Mixed with the putrid smell of death and the filth of the streets is Sector 2 slums. Elena stepped back as Reno casually, silently strolled from the alley toward the car. "You coming, rookie?" He asked turning back at her. Elena almost sighed in relief as she no longer saw the hallow, cruel look in his eyes and the casual, cold tone in his voice. She nodded and ran toward the car. As Reno slid in and slid the keys in, she listened to the sound of the engine revving.

She knew now, why Reno was second to Tseng. How he remained a Turk with his laid back attitude and scrawny form. It was that seriousness for his job that she had seen only moments before. That cruelty and hallow, emptiness. And she wondered, just how much of a second to Tseng he was. And if their only separation in rank was seniority and organization, on Tseng's part. And then, if this was how every mission went. Of if Reno had just slipped into some strange mood tonight. Somehow, she felt that was the case. Something just hadn't been right.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I own no aspect of Final Fantasy 7. All rights go to SquareEnix.

**Author's Note:** I'm not too sure about this one. It was kind of a random spurt of thought. PLEASE tell me what you think and how I can make this better. I dont think Reno seems like Reno in this one. So any tips would be great. So would suggestions and criticism. Eventualy I will have another chapter up... I have some ideas but no definate choice. Please review. Thanks.


	2. Penance

**Penance**

Elena stared at Tseng, who watched her with contemplating eyes. His mouth drawn in a thin line as he seemed to shuffle an array of thoughts that were fluttering behind those steely, brown eyes. He gaze fell to the floor, somehow, she felt dread. Dread of having to give the report on how the mission had gone. She didn't exactly like having to recall the experience. Nightmares plagued dreams, always waking, with the image of the man. Laying in the alley, a bullet hole seared between his eyes. Gazing at the monotonous brown carpet at her feet she recalled the events of the past few hours.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - Flashback**

_Elena followed Reno through the doors of the ShinRa executive building. Both nodding mechanically to the woman seated behind the desk, who paid them little notice. She hadn't said a word to Reno since the incident in the alley. But the mans final words rang ,in that horrible scream, in her mind. It had risen and fallen with a single word, 'Cirus'. Whomever it was, was obviously the man whom the employee had leaked information to. _

_She had stalked in silence to her room, collapsing thankfully onto her bed. She was exhausted, her muscles hurt from where she had stood. Frozen and tense, gazing with wide eyed shock at this new Reno. But perhaps she was being a bit melodramatic…that much she hoped for. Sleep engulfed her within moments, to weary to fight for consciousness she allowed the darkness to roll over her._

_:She was back in the alley, gun raised in-front of her chest, pointed skyward. She was merely backup for this task. And so she had remained, gazing at the battered man before her. She almost took a step back as a hallow, foreign voice rang through the stifled dark of the alley. Reno was bent over the man, talking to him, she could hear the hiss of the his EMR, which rested casually in his hand. _

_She had flinched back, only to be called upon harshly when Reno had thrown the man against the wall. She knew that his nose was broken, his skull had to be cracked and at least a few ribs were broken. _

_Now the terrible, agonizing scream rose through the night, filling her ears with bellowing pain. Leaving her with a nauseated feeling, accompanied with the smell of burnt flesh and hair. Her redheaded companion stood gazing down at the man, writhing and convulsing in spasms as his muscles fled his control. She winced as gunfire rang out through the tense silence, a slight hiss emitting from the mans skull as the bullet ripped through bone and flesh. And that horrible face… eyes lolled back into his head, saliva and blood smearing his face. Mixing with sweat and tears, she swallowed.:_

_Elena bolted awake, sitting up in her bed. She found herself shaking slightly, sending a glance to her clock she sighed and rose. She had only been sleeping for an hour… but it had felt like eons. She straightened her suit and brushed her hair. Tseng would not appreciate her arriving at his office to state her report in such a state of chaos. _

_She found her steps slow and reluctant as she made her way up the hall. Her stomach squirmed in its place, she was not looking forward to this report. Her usual motivation to get everything done thoroughly seemed sucked from her being. She dreaded having to relay her report. Swallowing softly, she stood now outside of her boss' door. 'Too soon' she thought fleetingly before knocking. Upon being beckoned inside Elena passed through the door, approaching the desk that Tseng sat casually behind. He must have sensed her unease for he motioned for her to sit…._

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -End Flashback **

Elena was pulled from her thoughts as Tseng cleared his throat, an inquisitive brow raised. He seemed to have nothing to say about the events. He seemed tired, for some reason she had never pictured her boss as looking tired… but then again she had never had the courage to really be around him. She felt her stomach twist and knot up, her feelings for Tseng were no secret… among the Turks anyhow. Only he seemed oblivious to them. But then again you could never tell what those unreadable eyes held behind them, what they knew. After a few moments silence he cleared his throat, preparing to speak. "That is all, dismissed." He stated in a voice that was low, Tseng never yelled. He never had any need to, even the President seemed to silence completely at the sound of the mans hushed voice, giving the Turk his full attention. Giving a quick, stiff salute Elena turned on her heel and strolled from the office. Her thoughts again drifting back to their, not long past meeting.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Flashback**

_Elena looked at the seat, then to her boss one last time before taking her seat. He rested his hands before him on his desk, digits entwined with each other. Elena sighed before gathering her thoughts…. _

"_It was late before we saw the man, he was walking down the street from the direction of a bar. Obviously drunk…."_

_And so her report started, recalling the events in vivid detail. She hadn't meant to, it just sort of came out like that. She needed, desperately to tell someone about the events. In hopes that maybe they could tell her what happened, and why it scared her so much. She didn't know, but something at the back of her mind, a memory she guessed that she couldn't recall. But lingered there all the same._

"_The name, that the target gave to us," She paused, recalling the scream that had accompanied the name with a slight shiver, "was Cirus." She stopped looking into the eyes of her superior only briefly before settling to looked at the carpet instead. _

"_Cirus…" Tseng muttered to himself. He had heard the name, rumor that flew around Midgar about some terrorist organization that wanted to overthrow ShinRa. At the moment they were small, easily dealt with. The only needed to kill this 'Cirus' character and the little rebel fraction would probably disperse…_

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -End Flashback**

Elena walked down the hall, hands entwined behind her back. She looked up to see Reno and Rude walking down the hall. Reno had that lopsided grin on his face, describing in an overly dramatic manner…. Flailing arms and large gestures and emphasized sentences. The events of the mission, she shook her head slightly, somewhat glad that the old Reno was back. She stopped herself… '_What the HELL? Glad to have the old Reno back?' _She mentally snorted at the thought. But it was better than whoever that was in the alley.

The two stopped as they noticed her watching them, Reno smirked "Hey rookie." He chirped in a sing-song voice that forewarned of some smartass remark that would annoy her to no end. "You know, you should have SEEN your face tonight. You looked scared shitless ya' know." He said in a matter-of-fact tone that made her want to cave his face in.

She huffed indignantly, whiskey eyes narrowing exceptionally as she fancied an image of her pounded the redheaded Turk's face in. She scowled at Reno as he and Rude resumed walking down the hall.

Rude, silent and quite intimidating made for quite the sight. Walking beside a hyper-active Reno who looked like a maniac walking down the hall. Rude merely shook his head at his friend's antics. Reno was Reno, there would never be any single word or combination of words ever invented to describe him. He was simply, Reno. Hyperactive, annoying a complete smartass. Yet a walking complexity of mystery and secrets. Rude knew nothing of his friends childhood, knew nothing of Tseng's either. It wasn't their job to know such things of each other. Just enough to be able to trust the other with their life…

Elena sighed as she closed the door to her room, allowing the cool darkness to envelope her. The first thing she did was find some sort of medicine for her headache. She was exhausted, but settled for taking a bath before crawling into bed. She turned the knobs of the porcelaine bath. Sighing she began to shed her suit, tossing them into a never-full laundry basket. She sat slowly into the steaming liquid, it soothed her sore muscles and eased her aching head. She sighed and leaned back, resting her head on the back of the bath…

_She was five years old again, running along the beach. The sun beat down on the white sands of the Junon shore, the smell of machinery filling the air. She loved that smell, but she loved the smell of the sea more. Bright whiskey colored eyes, wide with childish innocence stared with awe as the ShinRa aircraft, the Highwind, rose from the air-station. Blonde hair hat fell past her shoulders was pulled back into braids that flew behind her as she ran. A toothy grin on her face, she was pulled from her day-dreaming awe at the light, warm voice calling out her name, 'Elena!'. The woman cried, walking at a quickened pace to catch up with her daughter. A mock scowl on her face, she had blonde hair and blue eyes. Elena's father had whiskey eyes. She smiled up into the face of her mother, reaching up one small hand. She wore a floral print sundress and sandals. Her mother smiled at her, taking the child's hand and turning to walk back down the beach…._

Elena sat up with a start, looking down only to find herself still submerged in her bath. The water was cold now and with a sigh she stood and dried herself off. Pulling on a pair of lavender pajamas she crawled into bed. _What was that about? _She questioned the sudden appearance of the memory in the dream she had. But, it wasn't a significant memory… only she couldn't remember the rest of the day.

She slid into sleep, her thoughts cut short as the welcoming darkness beckoned her into its depths.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Reno**

Reno stared at the ceiling of his room, not seeing its bland surface. He was sleepy, but sleep would be far coming. He stretched, looking much like a cat as he did so and shifted his position on his bed. '_The asshole got what he deserved. He was merely paying penance for leaking information.'_

* * *

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or its characters. SquareEnix has full credit. 

**Author's Note:**Ahh... I think this one went a little better. At least I hope that it went better than the last, but anyhow hope you enjoyed! I do not know, however how soon the next chapter will be up. Hopefully not too long. I am really starting to enjoy this one. It is going to be a little slow, right now. Since it is just the beginning an all.


	3. Broken Mirror

**Broken Mirror**

I have a candle,

And I have,

A spoon.

I live in a hallway,

With no door…

And no rooms…

It was hard to believe it been almost a week since they had obtained the rebel leader's name. Yet they still had no leads on where to find him. Apparently any rumors about a rebel group of any kind had all been simply that. Rumors. The Turks had gotten no call for anything, jobs or otherwise. Although strange dreams continued to surface for short moments while Elena slept. She had almost pushed them aside, that was until her most recent dream. She had kept seeing a little boy, about five. She knew him, somehow in the back of her mind. She recognized him, but from where and how she knew not. Maybe it was just that she had seen him in another dream or something.

Elena sighed as she thumbed through more paperwork. It seemed impossible to organize and file the mounds of paperwork that were laying around the office. Apparently, few of the former Turks had bothered to file it by any order. That, was her current assignment from Tseng.

Reno opened one eye slightly, that only to look at the clock on the wall. Sure there wasn't a current assignment, but he still didn't get to escape coming to the office. He sighed as he gazed at the time, he still had forty-five minutes before he could leave. He sat with his heels resting on the desk, pushed back in a chair so that it stood on but two legs. His arms hung over the chair's arms and down the side, his head resting on the back of the chair so that he stared at the ceiling. An aggravated sigh woke him once more from his half sleep, followed by the thud of something heavy and the whisking sound of papers flying everywhere. Reno sat up, gazing at the floor before his desk, there sat a red-faced Elena surrounded by papers that had once been stacked and orderly.

Whiskey eyes looked up from the mess, growing wide as a lopsided grin curled the redheads lips. '_Oh God!' _She knew all too well what was about to fly from that mouth of his. "Having a bit of trouble walking 'Lenne?" He drawled doing nothing to suppress the laughter that was visible all over his face. If possible, Elena's face became a deeper shade of scarlet as she glared at the redhead in embarrassment and anger. "Shut up will you! I had those papers stacked and alphabetized and ordered!" She screeched in a sharp soprano. Reno scowled at her screaming, "Ah, come on rookie, don't scream at me 'cause you're a clutz." Reno drawled as he walked to the door, an infamous smirk curling his lips. He looked over his shoulder at the blonde's face, deciding to take the last few steps out of the room at a run. Seconds after the door clicked shut a heavy stapler slammed into the wood, ricocheting off of the door and thudding to the carpeted floor. Elena sat in the middle of the floor, surrounded by papers and fuming daring the redhead to walk back through the door.

It was only a matter of minutes before the door, once more, opened. Beckoning forth a tall man with black hair that was neatly brushed back, his black eyes halting on the flustered Elena as she set yet another stack of unruly papers unto a desk. A thin brow arched questioningly as she looked up to see her boss standing in the door, she could feel the color rushing to her cheeks. Painting them a faint pink as he gazed at her, she could see the half-heartedly hidden laughter on his face. "Do I even want to know why all of those documents and papers you were supposed to have sorted…'neatly' are now on the floor." He drawled, almost in exasperation, this, in-turn only seemed to deepen the pink flush that colored Elena's cheeks a light rose. "I fell sir, over balanced carrying the paperwork." He mumbled almost inaudibly, this earned her a smile from Tseng. "I see, I will clean up the rest of the papers Elena. You go ahead and take a break." The statement was not formal, but still held an authority that brandished any argument. With a grateful sigh she inclined her head before saluting Tseng and hurrying from the room.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Reno sighed as he downed his fourth shot of whiskey, beside him, still wearing his trademark glasses was Rude. Whatever his bald friend was doing his mind definitely was not on the still unfinished drink before him, "Uh…Rude?" The redhead questioned awkwardly. As if realization had struck the older Turk that he had lost all account of his thoughts he cleared his throat, straightening his tie. "Yes." Was the blunt deadpan response. Reno frowned slightly, before allowing a sneer to curl his thin lips "Don't think I don't know where you mind was." He said with a backward glance over his shoulder at the brunette that was seated at a table, by all accounts deep in thought. Reno had learned a quite…useful talent, learning how to decipher a person's mood with a short study of their face. This talent was the fuel of his seeming infinite ability to annoy people beyond measure. He turned back, looking down at his empty shot-glass, a small smile curling his lips. A smile that failed to reach his lips as he lost his thought to memories of days so long ago. ..

She could be no more than 20, attractive and with a figure and looks that could get her any man she desired. But hidden behind a smile that seemed to reach her eyes less and less, was a clash of emotions. Everyday she woke to the same nostalgic order, plan the demise of ShinRa and run her bar, Seventh Heaven. Burgundy eyes flitted to her intertwined fingers which rested upon the polished, worn wood of the table to which she was seated. The smile that usually lit her burgundy eyes with a spark of life that few possessed, curled now into a frown that dulled her deep eyes. Glazed with thoughts and memories, the light that illuminated her wine colored eyes with a fire that was the only thing that kept them going at times, dieing little by little. A knot furled her stomach with anxiety, but the days of nostalgia had long since passed. So desperately did she want to curl up and cry over the loss of her friends, tears that glazed her eyes with a crystal sheen. The day that fire had eclipsed Sector 7, stealing in it's fiery wake thousands of lives. Their screams still paraded in a euphoria of pain through her thoughts, extinguishing the fire of her spirit slowly. A dampened cloth thrown over a weak ember.

She had always dreamed of someone she loved saving her, coming valiantly to her rescue, without thought of how much danger they themselves were placed under. She loved Cloud, her childhood friend, that was what she called it. Love. But maybe that was just a conclusion she had reached because she worried about his safety. They never had been close, not really. She shouldn't have been surprised when he charged after Aeris, the flower girl from the slums. So innocent and perfect, with an air of serenity about her… and peace. As if in the end, everything would be alright, that it had to be. So why did she feel so let down?

Because she had built her hopes up of having someone that cared for her, that saw her each day, instead of looking at her… but in a way that made her think they were wishing she were someone else…

Reno sighed, as he gazed at the now full shot-glass, finding himself uninterested in the fact that with a few more he could dull that flood of memories. Memories that slammed incessantly at his mind, sending barrage after barrage of memories, playing a symphonic lullaby of unwanted nightmares. How he had recognized that look of hopelessness that had eclipsed the wine eyed beauty's face. Knew it personally, with a nostalgic dread that always awakened the orchestra of memories.

Memories of gazing at the reflection of a face filled with that hopelessness. A feeling that laced down to the very fiber of his bones and echoed back with a vibrancy that the memory of such felt as if he were a child again. Gazing at his reflection in a cracked mirror…

- - - - - - - - - -

Elena sighed as she seated herself comfortably upon her couch, a cup of hot chocolate and book at hand. A quick glance through the transparent glass of her apartment window told her that a bad storm was approaching. Giving her much wanted time to read her book.

As word by word slid past her vision, down a never ending page of black script painted across white paper, she found herself unable to take in the words upon the page. Of which she had read and re-read four times, and understood it, nor absorbed it any more thoroughly. With a tired sigh she shut the book with a snap, rising from her cough she set a pace to her bathroom. A nice hot shower should clear her head, as she had not been willing to take anything but since she had fallen asleep. Bearing with it a dream of a memory to which she no more understood the meaning of than if it had been another's memory.

Sliding between the crisp coolness of her sheets and comforter with a grateful sigh, Elena found herself anxious to get to sleep. In all truth she wanted to find out why she kept having these odd dreams, some of them made absolutely no sense at all, but every one of them was about her childhood. Or she was a child within the subconscious world of illusion. Sleep found her almost as soon as she had allowed her head to fall into the soft depths of her pillow….

_Everything was white, the floor and the walls and ceiling. There was no doorway, and no way out of this… cubic space. The walls were dirty, coated in stains of which Elena had no desire to know the origins of… or what they could even possibly be. _

_With a disgusted look she turned to face the wall before her, there upon the wall was a single mirror. Framed in a black wood, the glass surface would have been flawless… had it not been for the fracture that ran from the bottom right corner to the top left, branching out about halfway there to a fracture reaching for the top right corner. She did not need to see her reflection to know that she was a child, but that was not what had interested her… What had caught her interest was that the mirror displayed no reflection, instead echoing forth a darkness that seemed bottomless and enigmatic in it's own right. _

_Shakily, she stepped forward tracing one of the fractures with a child-sized digit. It was as if she had allowed life into the mirror, or awoken if from a slumber, the darkness reseeded allowing for a distorted reflection to gaze out of the mirror… But not her reflection, they were taller than she… Yet she could determine no detail, other than a pair of hallow, blue-green eyes that gazed into what she guessed was nothingness. Hallow and bitter eyes, that seemed to wish nothing but death upon their owner, expressing every emotion that the distorted image prohibited. Elena moved her head to gaze over her shoulder…_

She sat up-right as a resounding thud persistently reverberated through her apartment. With an annoyed sigh, she gazed at the alarm clock, eyes widening as she looked at the time. 8:30 a.m. She was at least an hour late for work, with a muttered 'Shit' she leapt from bed. Running to brush the tangles from her hair, and pull on a crisp suit. Once ready she looked at her reflection, prodding one of the bags beneath her eyes with an index finger, scowling. But it would have to do, Tseng would already be furious that she was late.

Remembering the thud she had heard Elena headed toward her door, pulling it open cautiously she saw no one. Confused by this she looked back into her apartment, there in the middle of her floor lay her book. Thrown carelessly into the floor, open as if someone had been reading it. Suppressing the shudder that fought to quake her body she turned and fled her apartment, locking her door securely behind her before setting of to work.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Elena let slip yet another curse as she looked at her watch while standing in the insufferably slow elevator of the ShinRa building. 9:30, at last the door slid open, at what she knew HAD to be slower pace than they usually chose to open at. Gritting her teeth in frustration as she practically ran down the hall in the direction of their office. Once their she took a moment to straighten her suit, and tame her now fly-away hair before stepping in. Her face flushing in a blush as Tseng's ever calm voice rang through the office, "Nice of you to join us, Elena." With a motion of his hand he signaled for her to stand before the desk. Although she was confused by this she obliged, gazing about the room brought Reno and Rude into her vision, her attention quickly snapped once more to her superior as Tseng cleared his throat.

"ShinRa, has found this…'Sirus', the rebel leader. As it turns out, our theory of it all being a scheme… Turned out to be quite…ahh… true." His mouth curled down into a slight scowl as he opened a document before him on his desk, gazing at it a moment before sighing and looking up from his revere. He looked up at them, clearing his throat before speaking once more. "It turns out that our…'rebel group'. Is not a rebel group at all." Be paused before continueing….

* * *

**Author's Note:** So what did you all think about the cliffhanger ending? I am sorry for the slow update...I might be more inspired to update faster if I got more reviews. I honestly love feedback, critizism and reviews... Oh yes, almost 300 hits and four reviews. XD I'm just joking about the 'inspiration to update faster'. No I love writing this, it is just that I had no idea HOW to write this chapter. I knew what I wanted to happen, I just was at a loss at HOW to make it happen. Or what order for that matter, well anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you to everyone who did review. Big thanks to NarcissisticRiceBall for her reviews and everyone else who reviewed. XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or it's characters. I also do not own the lyrics beneath the title, I just do not know who sang the song or what it's title is.


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